Indicating door-lock.



. N. WE-YER. mmcums boon LOCK, APPLICATION HLED MAR. 28, 19'5-1,216,899. T E T Patented Feb. 20,1917.

N. WEYER- INDICATING DOOR LOCK. APPucATIou FILED MAR. 2a. 1916.

1,216,899. Patented Feb. 0 917.

3 SHEETS-S 2.

N. WEYER.

INDICATING DOOR LOCK. APPLIYCATION mp0 MAR. 2 a. I916- Patented Feb. 20,1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

NICK WEYER, 0F LEWISTON, ,MINNESOTA.

INDICATING DOOR-LOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 28, 1916. Serial No. 87,290.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, N IOK WEYER, a citizen of the, United States,residing at Lewiston, in the county of l/Vinona and State of Minnesota,have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Indicating Door-.Locks; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to an indicating door lock.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction ofdoor locks and provide a simple, practical and inexpensive indicatinglatch designed for use on closets, booths and various other places andnormally capable of operation only from the interior of a closet orbooth and adapted to indicate from the exterior and at a distance fromthe closet or booth whether the door is locked or unlocked.

A further object of the invention is to provide a door latch of thischaracter equipped with a weighted lever adapted to serve as anoperating means for reciprocating the bolt and capable of alsomaintaining the same in either an extended or retracted position and ofalso holding the indicating or signal arm against accidental movement.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in theconstruction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereiafterfully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointedout in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that variouschanges in the form, proportion and minor details of construction may beresorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of theadvantages of the invention.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a portion of a door having anindicating latch constructed in accordance with this invention,

Fig. 2 is a similar view, the casing of the indicating arm being insection and the detachable plate of the door being removed,

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the latch showing the same applied to theinner face of the door,

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the line 44of Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the indicating latch, the sectionbeing taken through the lever and the latter being arranged in avertical position for convenience or illustration,

Fig. 6 is an elevation of the bolt showing the outer or front face ofthe same which is exposed to the opening in the door when the detachableplate is removed,

- Fig. 7 is an elevation of an indicating latch illustrating anotherform of the invention and showing the parts at the inner face of thedoor, 7

Fig. 8 is a similar view showing the parts exteriorly of the door, I

Fig. 9 is a sectional view on line 2-2 of Fig. 7,

Fig. 10 is a similar view on the line 1010 of Fig. 7.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in the severalfigures of the drawings.

In the accompanying drawings in which is illustrated the preferredembodiment of the invention, the indicating latch comprises in itsconstruction a sliding bolt 1 located at the inner face of a door 2 of acloset, booth or other place and slidably mounted in guide loops 3 andadapted to be extended beyond the free edge of the door to engage thekeeper loop a but any other suitable means may beemployed for slidablymounting the bolt and for engaging the extended end of the same when thebolt is in its locked position. The sliding bolt is provided with anexterior recess 5 preferably covered by a plate 6 to form a slot but thelatter may be formed in the bolt instead of employing a plate forcovering the recess as will be readily understood. The slot or openingof the bolt receives a lower arm or portion 7 of a weighted lever 8. Thelower arm of the weighted lever is reduced in thickness and it isprovided with a curved rear edge 9 presenting an outer convex face andthe front edge of the arm is curved at 10 to present a concaved face forengaging the front wall 11 which is inclined and slightlyrounded asshown. The rear wall 12 of the opening in the bolt is slightly inclinedand the weighted lever is also recessed at the back at the upper end ofthe arm or portion 7 to form a shoulder'13 for engaging the upper faceof the bolt to limit the forward or outward movement of the same. Theweighted lever which is mounted on a pivot 0r spindle 14 is adapted toswing to either side of a vertical position so as to Patented Feb". 20,19m.

maintain the latch bolt either extended or retracted and when it isswung to either side of a vertical position it will through gravitycomplete the movement of the latch bolt. By this construction the latchbolt will be positively maintained in either position. The spindle 1 1is mounted in a suit able bearing of the door and it extends from theinner to the outer face thereof and it carries at its outer portion asignaling arm 15 which is moved to and from an aperture 16 of a casing17 to expose the signaling arm and also to carry the same away from theaperture to enablethe word Closed to be exhibited through the saidaperture. The word Closed is arranged on the outer face of the door inrear of the aperture 16 of the casing 17 but a similar word such asLocked or the like may be employed and any suitable means may beprovided for this purpose. In practice the signal arm will bear the wordOpen and it may be of any distinguishing color so as to be seen at adistance. The casing is provided with a marginal attaching flange 18 andthe door is also provided below with an opening 19 and it is recessed orrabbeted at the outer face at 20 to receive a removable plate 21,secured by screws 22 to the door and adapted to be removed to affordaccess to the bolt so that the latter may be reciprocated by introducingan instrument through the opening 19 should it become necessary to openthe door from the exterior. The bolt is preferably provided with thewords Open and Closed which in the reciprocation of the bolt are carriedto and'from the opening in the door. Also the bolt is provided with asuitable grip or handle 23 to enable it to be reciprocated by graspingthe said handle.

In Figs. 7 to 10 inclusive of the drawings is illustrated another formof the invention designed for use on doors of oilices, privateapartments, telephone booths and various other public and privateplaces. In this form of the invention, a sliding bolt 24 is mounted insuitable guides or loops 25 on the interior of a door 26 and isreciprocated into and out of engagement with a keeper 27 by a weightedlever 28 fulcrumed intermediate of its ends on-a horizontal pivot orspindle 29 which extends through the door from the interior to theexterior thereof and which carries, at its outer end an indicating arm80. The sliding latch bolt is provided with a recess 31 havingoppositely inclined walls 82' wnich are adapted to be engaged bv thelower arm 33 of the weighted lever which is oppositely tapered as shownto coact with the inclined walls of the bolt for reciprocating the sameinwardly or outwardly into and outof engagement with the keeper. Theguide loops 25 are preferably mounted on a base plate and the indicatingor signaling arm 30 operates within a casing an having an opening 35which is covered by a transparent plate or pane of glass, celluloid orother suitable material. The indicating or signaling arm is movedupwardly and downwardly to conceal and expose the word Locked or asimilar word and also to expose and conceal the word Upon which iscarried by the indicating or signaling arm. The signaling arm is movedn1 wardly and downwardly .to and IlODl the open ng 35 and the weightedlever which is enlarged at its upper portion at is adapted to swing toeither side'of a perpendicular position for operating as a weight tomaintain the bolt in its locked and retracted position. The upper arm isalso provided with an operating knob or handle 38 by means of which thelatch is readily operated.

The latch bolt is provided at its lower edge with teeth 39 forming arack and meshing with a. pinion 4:0 mounted on a trans verse shaft allwhich extends to the exterior of the door and has a polygonal outerportion 12 adapted to be engaged by a key not shown to enable the latchto be operated from the exterior should occasion require. The outer keyreceiving end of the transverse shaft is normally covered by apivotedplate 13 and the casing is equipped with a clip 14i provided withresilient arms 4:5 adapted to hold a card 46 designed to bear anyinformation such as Gone to dinner or the like.

The indicating lock illustrated in Figs. 7 to 10 inclusive is adaptedfor use in a variety of places for indicating whether a person is out orin or whether a room is occupied or unoccupied and that it will savelabor, inconvenience and annoyance and intrusion. The pinion performsa'double function of a supporting roller for the bolt and as means forenabling the bolt to be actuated by a key from the exterior when it isnecessary to open the door from the outside.

Vi hat is claimed is 1. A signal indicating latch including a slidingbolt provided with a reces in its side face said recess being taperedand forming opposite walls presenting an inclined face, an operatinglever pivoted intermediate of its ends above the bolt and having aweighted upper operating arm and a lower actuating arm adapted to engagethe bolt in the recess thereof actuate the bolt, the weighted. arm beingadapted to maintain the bolt either in an extended or retractedposition, an exterior casing having an aperture and a pivotally mountedsignal or indicating arm arrange to swing to and from the aperture ofthe casing and actuated by the said lever.

2. A signal indicating latch including a sliding bolt provided at one ofits faces with provided at one of its longitudinal edges at the saidinclined face to positely inclined walls, said bolt being also anupwardly tapered recess presenting opwith teeth, a shaft extendingthrough the door, a pinion mounted on the inner end of the shaft andmeshing with the said bolt, an operating lever fulcrumed intermediate ofits ends at the inner face of the door and above the said bolt andhaving an upper weighted operating arm and a lower actuating armextending into the recess of the bolt and adapted to engage the inclinedwalls thereof to actuate the bolt, the weighted arm being adapted tomaintain the bolt in either its extended or retracted position, and apivotally mounted signal or indicating arm actuated by the said lever.

In testimony whereof I alfix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

NICK WEYER. Witnesses:

GEo. 0. RICE, OTTO W. 11101:.

Copies of this patent 'may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

